Tag Archives: Ron DeSantis

The Tallahassee Democrat reports: Michael Ertel, the newly appointed Secretary of State of Gov. Ron DeSantis, has resigned after photos emerged of him posing as a Hurricane Katrina victim in blackface at a private Halloween party 14 years ago. The photos obtained by the Tallahassee Democrat were shown to the Governor’s Office on Thursday morning. Hours later it issued a …

The Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis removed Broward Sheriff Scott Israel from office Friday, replacing him after 10 months of turmoil spawned by the slaughter of 17 staff and students in Parkland. The governor replaced Israel with former Coral Springs Police Sgt. Gregory Tony, 40, who has a background in active-shooter training and becomes the first black sheriff …

NPR reports: Tuesday is a historic day in Florida. Under an amendment passed by the voters in November, as many as 1.4 million former felons are regaining the right to vote. The referendum overturned a 150-year-old law that permanently disenfranchised people with felony convictions. Before the change, people who served their time could apply for clemency to a board headed …

Education Week reports: Newly elected Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed the members of his transition team for education—and on it are two people linked to efforts to weaken the teaching of evolution and climate change, among other topics. One of them, Keith Flaugh, is the managing director of the Florida Citizens Alliance, a local advocacy organization which supports “individual …

CNN reports: Andrew Gillum, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Florida, conceded to his Republican opponent, former Rep. Ron DeSantis, on Saturday, ending a protracted fight that saw the Tallahassee mayor take back his Election Day concession during a statewide recount. The concession ended Gillum’s first bid for statewide office in Florida, but the run — despite his loss — vaulted …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: After receiving unofficial election results from all 67 counties, Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner on Saturday officially ordered machine recounts in three statewide elections – U.S. Senate, Governor and Agriculture Commissioner. Now, county election officials will feed ballots into machines to recount the results in those races. The second round of results is due to …

The Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel reports: Protesters are chanting for Broward County’s elections chief to be imprisoned, and candidates are gearing up for a legal slugfest Friday, bringing chaos into Florida’s midterm elections reminiscent of the infamous 2000 presidential recount. A crowd assembled outside the office of Broward elections chief Brenda Snipes just a day after Republican Gov. Rick Scott delivered …

Orlando’s ABC affiliate reports: Campaign officials for Democratic gubernatorial Andrew Gillum say they are monitoring what appears to be a closer race against Republican Ron DeSantis than it first appeared. By Thursday, with more votes tallied and while some discrepancies are sorted out, DeSantis’ lead has narrowed dramatically. At noon Thursday, DeSantis led by only about 43,000 votes, which is …

Vox reports: Republican Ron DeSantis has defeated Democrat Andrew Gillum, the young Tallahassee mayor who was vying to become the first black governor in Florida history, to keep the Sunshine State’s governor’s mansion in GOP hands. DeSantis clung tightly to President Trump, except when Trump advanced a conspiracy theory about the death toll in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. DeSantis …

Politico reports: Tallahassee Mayor and Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum hit back at President Donald Trump on Monday, after Trump called Gillum a “thief” in an inflammatory tweet. Soon after, Gillum called out Trump on Twitter. The race for Florida’s governor is one of several nationally watched elections this November. Gillum is the first black nominee from any major party …

Talking Points Memo reports: President Donald Trump attacked Democratic Florida governor candidate Andrew Gillum on Monday as a “thief,” and implied his lack of education as compared to the Republican candidate, Ron DeSantis. Gillum attended Florida A&M University, where he majored in political science. The education jab seems to be a variation of Trump’s favorite criticism of his black critics: …

Politico reports: The White House is planning a political rescue mission in Florida, fearing a wipeout in a key swing state next month that could damage President Donald Trump’s reelection hopes. Trump is expected to visit the state at least twice, according to two people familiar with the plans. Visits from several Cabinet members are likely, as well. Presidential text …

“My grandmother used to say, ‘A hit dog will holler,’ and it hollered through this room. First of all, he’s got neo-Nazis helping him out in this state. Now, I’m not calling Mr. DeSantis a racist, I’m simply saying the racists believe he’s a racist.” – Andrew Gillum at last night’s debate with Ron DeSantis. The Independent reports: The pair …

NBC News reports: A racist robocall that refers to Andrew Gillum as a “negro” and a “monkey” is making the rounds in Florida, prompting a furious response from the Democratic gubernatorial candidate’s campaign. Florida voters who receive the call — audio of which was obtained by NBC News — hear a man impersonating the African-American politician. “Well hello there. I …

The Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel reports: Andrew Gillum is way ahead and Bill Nelson is leading in the latest big-name poll of Florida voters. But the CNN poll doesn’t mean Democrats should celebrate or Republicans despair. The numbers may not be as good as advertised for Democrats Gillum and Nelson or as bad for Republicans Ron DeSantis or Rick Scott. In …

NBC News reports on last night’s debate: The two scuffled on the economy, race, and, of course, Trump, who came up when moderator Jake Tapper asked DeSantis if he thought Trump was a good role model for children. The question was based in part on a DeSantis primary ad featuring one of his children stacking toy blocks as DeSantis exclaimed, …

Talking Points Memo reports: Democratic gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum on Thursday demanded that Florida TV stations stop broadcasting a “maliciously false” attack ad put out by the state Republican Party, warning that further broadcast of the ad would be intentionally defamatory. In a cease-and-desist letter, lawyers for the Gillum campaign claims the ad was approved by his GOP opponent Rep. …

The Miami New Times reports: Florida gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis’ 2011 tome, Dreams From Our Founding Fathers, is terrible. It’s a book-long screed from the then-Tea Party candidate, in which DeSantis screams at President Barack Obama for 286 pages, implies he is a closet Marxist, and at one point writes that Obama has “Muslim roots.” The book sucks because it …

The New York Times reports: Tom Steyer, the billionaire investor and Democratic activist, has directed his political operation to spend more than $5 million aiding Andrew Gillum’s campaign for governor of Florida, an enormous investment that will test whether fired-up Democratic voters can flip control of a state long dominated by Republicans. The campaign between Mr. Gillum, who is the …

Politico reports: Republican activist who donated more than $20,000 to Ron DeSantis and lined up a speech for him at President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club called President Obama a “F—- MUSLIM N—-” on Twitter recently, in addition to other inflammatory remarks. Steven M. Alembik told POLITICO Wednesday he wrote the Obama tweet in anger, that he’s “absolutely not” a racist and …